That evening, in the house where Kotori and Tomoe Gozen were staying.
Kotori sat on a stone bench, holding a cup of hot tea that Tomoe Gozen had just brewed.
"Oh, right, Kotori."
I'm going on a long trip tomorrow, and it'll probably be for several days.
"Um."
Kotori took a sip of tea, then stopped.
Several days?
Who will cook for me then?
"Wait a moment."
She put down her teacup.
You said you're going to be gone for several days?
"Yes, I'm going with Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others to negotiate with Quetzalcoatl."
"That..."
Kotori's expression began to crumble.
"Then who will cook for me?"
"... Huh?"
I mean, after you leave, who will cook for me?
" Kotori, you can make it yourself, right?"
"I can't cook."
"..."
Tomoe Gozen looked at Kotori.
Kotori also looked at Tomoe Gozen.
The room was silent for three seconds.
"You can't cook?"
"But Kotori, aren't you Servant?"
" Servant don't automatically learn to cook!"
The pitch in the Kotori rose a few degrees.
"And even if there are some ingredients left in the house, I can't just eat them raw, can I?"
Tomoe Gozen opened her mouth, as if to say something.
But I didn't know what to say.
She had never thought about this question.
Since Kotori moved in with her, she has been cooking all three meals a day.
Kotori only needs to eat.
"... Then I'll make some dry rations that can be stored for a long time..."
I don't like eating dry food.
"..."
Tomoe Gozen felt like she was trying to reason with a child.
In short.
Kotori crossed her arms.
"If you go, I want to go too."
"No."
Tomoe Gozen immediately shook her head.
"I'm going out on a mission this time, not for a day trip."
"If the negotiations don't go smoothly, we might very well have to fight Quetzalcoatl there."
" Kotori, you saw the battle of the gods in the sky that day, didn't you?"
"It's about fighting gods of that level."
"And quite a few people are going this time."
Kotori, you don't like crowded places, do you?
Kotori was silent for two seconds.
Are there many people going?
"There are probably four or five Servant, plus Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash."
"..."
Kotori cracked her knuckles.
Four or five Servant, plus two more.
There are only about seven in total.
It's much better than those squares in Uruk where hundreds of people gather at any given time.
"It's okay, I can bear with it."
"Anyway, it won't be for long."
"But it's very dangerous,"
"Danger?"
Kotori tilted her head.
"Your mission this time isn't that different from a picnic, is it?"
" Quetzalcoatl is a benevolent god; he won't do anything to you."
Tomoe Gozen looked intently at Kotori.
Kotori, you seem to know a lot about Quetzalcoatl?
"Well, I guess so."
Kotori didn't explain further.
Tomoe Gozen did not press the matter further.
But she still carefully memorized what Kotori had just said: Quetzalcoatl was a benevolent god, and she remembered that first.
But she didn't believe it entirely.
After all, gods are the most fickle beings in the world.
No one can predict what decision they will make in the next second.
So, it's settled.
Kotori raised a finger.
I'll go with you tomorrow.
"... All right."
Tomoe Gozen sighed.
"Since you want to come along too, Kotori, I'll explain things to Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others tomorrow."
"Um."
Kotori nodded.
Then she picked up her teacup again.
"By the way, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"It's ready, keeping it warm in the pot."
"What?"
"Those you like."
"... Tomoe Gozen."
"Um?"
You are such a good person.
"... Thank you for the compliment."
The next morning.
Uruk South Gate.
The ambassadorial team from Uruk, led by Ritsuka Fujimaru, officially departed.
Team lineup:
Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, Fou, Ana, the Jaguar Man, and Merlin.
In addition, Tomoe Gozen and Kotori joined later.
There were seven people in total, plus one Fou.
"So, Ms. Kotori, are you coming with us too?"
Before setting off, Ritsuka Fujimaru looked at Kotori, who was standing next to Tomoe Gozen.
"Yes, Kotori wants to go too."
Tomoe Gozen answered for her.
"I couldn't stop her either."
"Very good!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru almost jumped up, but the next second she recalled Tomoe Gozen's troubled expression from yesterday.
And the image of Kotori hiding behind Tomoe Gozen made her forcefully suppress her impulse.
"Um... Ms. Kotori, let's go then."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left, without approaching Kotori again.
Kotori raised an eyebrow slightly.
This red-haired human Master... didn't charge at me like last time?
That's quite sensible of them.
The group left Uruk's south gate and headed towards the dense forest to the south.
The target Eridu, the stronghold of the Quetzalcoatl, located deep in the dense forests south of Uruk.
According to the Jaguar Man, that was the location of the Quetzalcoatl's temple.
Throughout the journey, Ritsuka Fujimaru did not initiate a single conversation with Kotori.
Instead, they set their sights on Tomoe Gozen.
"Miss Tomoe Gozen, could you explain the knitting method you just described in more detail?"
"Well, it's about first winding the thread into a loop, and then..."
"Wow, that's amazing! I tried so many times before and failed."
"Actually, everyone starts like this. I also ruined a lot of knittings when I first started learning."
"Really? Even Tomoe Gozen has her failures."
"Of course there are! Who can do that from the start?"
The two walked in the middle of the group, chatting happily.
Kotori walked beside Tomoe Gozen, occasionally listening to their conversation, but most of the time she was lost in thought or looking at the scenery along the way.
The southern forests and the area around Uruk present completely different landscapes.
The further south you go, the denser the vegetation becomes.
The tall trees blocked out the sun, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled spots of light on the ground.
The air also became humid.
It smelled of earth and plants.
"It seems that you and Tomoe Gozen have become quite close."
Mash walked behind Ritsuka Fujimaru and whispered.
"Yes, Miss Tomoe Gozen is a very nice person, very easy to talk to."
Ritsuka Fujimaru turned around and glanced at Kotori, who was following behind her.
Kotori happened to be watching them too.
Their eyes met.
Kotori looked away.
Ritsuka Fujimaru quickly turned around as well.
"Senior, aren't you going to talk to Ms. Kotori?"
"Now is not the time."
Ritsuka Fujimaru lowered her voice.
"I scared her away last time, so I'll have to take it slow this time."
"First, establish a good relationship with Tomoe Gozen, and then..."
"Senior, this sounds like a dating strategy..."
"No, that's not true!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru's voice rose a little.
Kotori was in front, glanced this way.
Ritsuka Fujimaru immediately shut up.
Along the way.
The group moved at a moderate pace and encountered no danger.
Although there were many magical beasts in the southern forest, they all avoided them in advance, thanks to the senses of the Jaguar Man and Merlin.
Occasionally, they would encounter some low-level magical beasts that didn't know their place, but the Jaguar Man would take them down with a single blow of his staff.
Ritsuka Fujimaru walked in the group.
Looking at the Servant.
Merlin hummed a song ahead, occasionally using flower True Magic to conjure a Xiaohua to tease Ana.
Ana followed behind expressionlessly, occasionally reaching out to take the flower.
The Jaguar Man hopped and skipped ahead, clearing the way.
Tomoe Gozen and Kotori walked side by side.
Mash walked beside him, carrying Fou in her arms.
" Fou ~"
Fou snuggled closer to Mash.
Then its gaze drifted to Kotori, who was walking next to Tomoe Gozen.
" Fou?"
"No, Fou, you just need to stay with me now."
Mash pinned Fou down.
Fou let out a pitiful cry.
Ritsuka Fujimaru watched this scene, her mind filled with many thoughts.
She thought of Mayuri, the companion who had gone missing during the Spiritron Transfer.
Fou has always been very close to Kotori.
Furthermore, Chaldea has also stated that Kotori's Spirit Origin and Mayuri share some similarities.
Is there some connection between them?
"Senior?"
Mash's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Oh, it's nothing."
Ritsuka Fujimaru shook her head, shaking off those distracting thoughts, and focused on the task at hand.
It took most of the day to traverse the dense forest.
When the group finally emerged from the dense forest, their view suddenly opened up.
They saw Eridu.
A city built deep in a dense forest.
But it was completely different from the " Quetzalcoatl's headquarters" that I had imagined.
There were no black spires, no oppressive atmosphere, and no monsters everywhere.
All that could be seen were neat rows of white stone houses lining both sides of the street.
Residents come and go on the street.
Clothes and spices drying on the windowsill.
The cries of street vendors.
The sounds of children chasing and playing in the alley.
And the aroma of food wafting in the air.
The people living here rarely show signs of despair or depression on their faces.
Many of them even had smiles on their faces, and they all seemed to be genuinely smiling.